


blessed.

by Junnieevee



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Babies, Big Brother Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Emotionally Constipated Hades, Family Fluff, Hades Is Trying (Hades Video Game), Insecure Zagreus, Maybe - Freeform, Minor Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Multi, Persephone is a Good Parent, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, There's A Tag For That, This is just about fam fluff tbh, babies with powers, but he's getting there, he's not a good parent, he's the best big bro i swear, i love it, i may reflect my self on this, i think, no beta we die as zagreus, probably, she may panic a bit, zag gets a lil sis y'all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29203449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junnieevee/pseuds/Junnieevee
Summary: Given how the Queen’s last pregnancy went, everyone at the House of Hades was considerably surprised to find out she and the Lord of the Underworld were expecting yet another child.“You know? I think this child… will be very blessed,” she said her thoughts all aloud to Cerberus, who only wagged his tail in affirmation. “I’ll never run away again, their father is in a good mood lately and they’ll have a fantastic older brother,” she smiled and laughed when the hound of Hades groaned questioningly to her. “And of course, an amazing canid guardian.”orZagreus wants to be a good Big Brother, Persephone is happy and Hades is Trying™.  And also there's a baby.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Hades Video Game), Macaria daughter of Hades (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore) & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 138





	1. makar

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! First work in this fandom here! 
> 
> Hades has been my strongest obsession this las month, and it revived a long lost interest I had for Greek Mythology, so I got to investigate all of it again (well, mostly) and I realized there was an actual daughter of the Lord of the Underworld in the original Greek lore and all that, and I couldn't help but imagine Zagreus with a little sister ;A; so here we are now.
> 
> This is also my way to cope with quarantine and the fact that I haven't seen my two newborn little cousins (i don't know one of them at all omg) forever, and the fact that, as a single child, I never had sibs. I hope you enjoy this little piece!

Given how the Queen’s last pregnancy went, everyone at the House of Hades was considerably surprised to find out she and the Lord of the Underworld were expecting yet another child. Queen Persephone planned to keep it a secret, for a while, telling her husband and son before anyone else, and then gradually let the others in the residence know, one by one, but Prince Zagreus’ loud, exhilarated reaction to the news in the middle of the great hall ruined any kind of secrecy she could have had about it. In retrospect, it was partially her fault for saying such a huge statement as  _ ‘I’m pregnant’ _ surrounded by multiple shades and other servants of the House, expecting that her euphoric son would somehow remain quiet through all of it. 

Zagreus was nothing like his father, beyond their shared stubbornness and adoration for Cerberus. While Hades had seemed completely shocked by her words, unresponding, her son was all smiles and excitement, so much that he repeated her words loud and clear for everyone around to hear. The King of the Underworld didn’t even scold him, as per usual, only staring straight at his wife, with an unreadable expression. 

“Do you think they’re fighting right now?”

Nyx glanced at the young prince and offered him a gentle, reassuring smile. Zagreus was left pacing in front of his father’s desk after both of his parents locked themselves on their shared chambers to talk, leaving scorching marks behind him that easily disappeared mere seconds later, as the tiles of the House were enchanted to be kept immaculately clean, given its Lord’s own biology. She tenderly caressed his hair, like he was still a child under her constant care and supervision. He relaxed almost instantly under her touch, crossing his arms over his chest and stopping his anxious movements, almost pouting.

“If they were, we would already know by now my child,” she said, withdrawing her hand from his head. 

The prince huffed a humorless laugh. “You’re right. Father can barely maintain a proper conversation without raising his voice as it is.”

“Do you think you got your fiery spark from your father, child?” Nyx asked, her voice holding an odd tone of amusement on it, something rather rare of her. “It takes quite the courage to keep up with Lord Hades’ explosive demeanor, after all.”

Zagreus chuckled under his breath, as Mother Night enjoyed the sound of it. Being compared to his mother instead of his father, for a change, always lifted his spirits, and she knew it. 

“Should I worry for him instead?” he wondered.

“There’s nothing to be worried about, Zagreus,” she answered easily. “They just need to talk. It is rather obvious that Lord Hades was not prepared for this kind of news, in the slightest.”

“Honestly,” Zagreus nervously laughed. “I’m not sure if I have already processed the whole deal myself, either.” then the smile disappeared from his face, leaving only a grim, worried expression behind. “What… What if they… are like me?” he sighed. “What if they… die? Just after being born.”

Nyx was quick to shake her head solemnly. “The circumstances are very different this time, child. Your parents have learned so much thanks to you, and I made your existence possible with my powers, didn’t I?” she reached for his face, gently grabbing his chin to make him look up at her eyes. “I will do it again if it were to happen. Besides,” she caressed his cheek, thinking how his mismatching eyes have barely changed from when he was just a tiny, little prince running around the house with Thanatos and Megaera, playing the silliest things and interrupting Hypnos’ constant naps. The single thought of having a new child around again was as exciting as it was fatiguing. “They will have something you didn’t.”

“Will they?” he asked, curious. “What is it?”

“A doting mother that won’t run away this time, and…” she leaned to kiss his forehead, brushing his black hair back. “An older brother who will love them deeply.”

Zagreus smiled again then, moved by her words. Nyx knew how he felt, the utter happiness in one’s heart of loving someone who hasn’t even come to existence yet. The fear, the hope… one could go crazy of sheer affection if you’re not careful; it was very tempting for herself to try and consult her daughters about her children’s destinies, a disastrous attempt to keep them safe against all odds. She could see in the Prince’s whole demeanor he was already devoted to his still unborn sibling, and so Nyx promised herself she would be right by his and his family’s side to guide them through all of this.

She just prayed to the Fates that this time, things would be better.

* * *

  
  


“What is it like? To have a sibling?”

Thanatos frowned with his eyes closed, his head lying over Zagreus’ lap as the Prince of the Underworld played with his hair absentmindedly, his eyes lost somewhere ahead of him. Moments of peace and rest like these were rare for Death Incarnate, but Zag always managed to find some time to spend with him, some excuse, a justification for them to simply sit together for a short while before returning to their respective duties again. Thanatos would always put resistance, lame attempts to avoid wasting time, but any time he spent with Zag could be hardly called ‘a waste’ if he was honest with himself. 

“I mean, I had you, and Hypnos and Meg back when we were children but… Nyx never reinforced any, uh, sibling-like relationship among us, so we were just kind of… a bunch of kids playing together all the time.” he rambled, curling a lock of silver hair around his finger repeatedly. “And you have lots of siblings out there, don’t you? How…?”

It was endearing, truly, how impatient Zagreus was with the current topic of a new Prince or Princess of the Underworld being born soon. Thanatos found it adorable, but there was only so much he could do to ease his lover’s worries about being a good older brother.

He eventually opened his eyes, staring up at a very tormented Zagreus, who anxiously bit down at his lower lip. He raised a hand, setting free the bruised flesh from the Prince’s teeth with a soft touch of his thumb, caressing it gently afterward. Finally, Zagreus looked down, and Thanatos resisted the urge to laugh at the face he was making.

“You look like a kicked puppy.” he couldn’t help saying. It was true after all.

Zagreus groaned. “That doesn’t help at all.”

Than allowed himself to smile openly (or as open as he could), being alone in that secluded part of the House meant no one else but the Prince would be a witness of how soft Zagreus’ only presence made him. Not even Achilles was on his post, and so he felt less insecure about showing his affections towards the one he loved.

“Contrary to your beliefs, I don’t know a lot about siblings, either.” he shrugged. He felt lighter, without his armor and weapons on. Or maybe it was just Zagreus aura. “I roughly know them all. Brother Charon is never around, he only used to give us pomegranates from the surface when we were little, and we have those down here, too, so it wasn’t all that amazing…” he said. “And Hypnos, well… he can be a handful sometimes, and sometimes I forget he’s even there.”

“That’s cruel.” Zagreus tugged to a strand of his hair roughly, but it came as a pleasant sensation rather than a painful one. Still, Than glared at him but kept talking.

“I don’t say it as a bad thing, it’s just… I’ve grown accustomed to his presence, that’s all.” he sighed. “He has always been there, you know? I… know he will always be there.”

Zagreus only hummed at that, carefully tracing the lines of Death’s face with his fingers, again, his mind far from his body at the moment, lost in thought.

“I… always want to be there for them, as well.” he said after a while. 

Thanatos knew, without even thinking about it, that he will. It was natural for Zagreus to want to protect them, a given. He wanted to tell him that, and that the new little godling would be very lucky to have him as a big brother, but he has never been great with words. So he only grabs his arm, and tenderly kisses the pulse on his wrist. 

“Don’t worry too much.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“You want to get along with your sibling, don’t you? Then I can’t help you.”

Meg’s relationship with her sisters wasn’t… good, to put it simply. Alecto was a complete nightmare and Tisiphone… wasn’t that bad. She just wished she could understand her better, and for her to speak properly to do so. But anyway, this wasn’t about her. 

“Come on Meg, I know you must know at least something about togetherness with people sharing your same blood and parents and all of that.” Zagreus insisted.

“We don’t even know our parents,” she huffed. Why was she still talking to him about this? “Blood is the only thing we share up at this point.”

“There is your title as Furies, and your job, in general.” 

“What do you want me to tell you? Alecto tried to kill me when we were still toddlers, and Tisiphone isn’t much of a conversationalist.”

The lounge of the House was almost empty, save from the chef at the other side of the counter and some mourning shades taking a drink not far from them. Zagreus grimaced to her statement, awkwardly taking a sip of his own nectar.

“I, uh… sorry for asking.” he apologized lamely.

“I don’t mind, really. I tried to kill her once, too, so now we’re even.” 

The Prince sighed, looking dejectedly at his drink. Meg almost felt bad for him. Almost.

“Nothing prepares you to be a sibling,” she rolled her eyes. This was so stupid. “It just happens, you learn to live with that and decide whether you want to do anything with them or not.”

“I want to!” he was quick to respond. “But what if they don’t?”

“They’re going to be a  _ baby _ , Zagreus.” she huffed. “Babies don’t instantly decide if they like you or not.”

“But what if this one does?”

“They won’t.” Meg pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. “When did you decide to start resenting your father?”

Zagreus looked surprised by the sudden change of topic in their conversation but knew better than to question the Fury, so he hesitantly answered.

“I… don’t know, I don’t remember.” he frowned. “I do remember caring for his opinion towards me at some point but… I wasn’t taller than a Bother back then.”

Meg scoffed a sarcastic, dry laugh just before drinking at her nectar. “You have never been taller than anything, Zag.”

The Prince stammered before glaring at her. “That’s- That’s not the point, all right?”

“The  _ point  _ is,” she slightly raised her voice. “Unless you actively do something to make them hate you, they won’t.”

Megaera felt a pang of guilt when his words made the Prince look down to his burning feet, knowing him too well to know what part of that statement made him feel so upset. She tsk-ed, looking away from him. Zagreus hardly did anything to be hated and still had the father he had.

“They won’t be like your father.” she clarified firmly. “You aren’t, after all.”

Zagreus’ nodded solemnly at that- before his mismatched eyes widened, glancing up to her again, completely terrorized. “Wait. What if they end up looking like Father!?”

If violence wasn’t so strictly prohibited inside the House, she would have punched her Lord’s son harder than ever already, she wouldn’t even need her whip to put him in his place. 

Deep, very, very,  _ very deep _ inside her, she thought it was kind of charming, how much Zagreus was getting stupidly worried over this. She would confine herself in the depths of Erebus before doing such a confession, though. 

* * *

  
  


Honestly, it was kind of funny how Hypnos was the only one who actually helped him at all with his questions this time.

“It depends, really,” he said when Zagreus asked him the same question that he made to Than and Meg about siblings. “I get along with Charon pretty well and I love him even if he’s not here very often, but the Fates give me the chills and don’t even make me start with Eris,” he laughed nervously. “That one is a handful.” 

“So… what does it exactly depend on? To… get along with a sibling.” Zagreus asked, still curious.

“Many things!” Hypnos exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the list he held with both hands. He seemed content, registering shades and their death causes. “But I’d say that the time you spend with them is the most important of them all. Although honestly? You don’t need a reason to love your siblings.”

Zagreus blinked slowly at that. “You don’t?”

“No!” Hypnos giggled. “I mean, you will almost hate them sometimes, and you’ll fight aaaaaall the time, too. But I mean, if you’re worried by your tiny sibling, you shouldn’t!” he smiled, with that lazy expression of his. “Than and I grew up together, so we usually fought for everything, and when we grew up he eventually decided to stop arguing altogether, so he left.” he shrugged, a subtle, tiny spark of sadness shining on his eyes for a brief moment. “But he came back! Because he loves me, even if I don’t get my work done too much.”

The Prince hummed, deep in thought for the millionth time these days. Hypnos shared with him the fancy recliner Zag bought for him, sitting by his side as he fulfilled his duties, doodling at the edges of his list in the meantime. He welcomed the shades, made them make a line, and would doze off every now and then, as Zagreus mused about his situation.

“So, you are telling me not to worry, because even if they get mad at me, they'll eventually come around?” he asked at some point.

Hypnos yawned. “Yep! That’s pretty much it. And also,” he laughed under his breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever got into a fight with, say, Charon or another of my oldest siblings like Geras or Moros, mostly because it’s straight dumb to get on their bad side, but also because I’m younger!” 

Zagreus scoffed “So they spoil you?” he said, raising a brow.

“Something like that I think,” Hypnos shrugged. “Even if your baby sibling turns out to be a terror like you,” he ignored Zagreus’ indignant protests. “I don’t think you’ll ever get mad at them, not forever at least.”

“Yeah…” he breathed, suddenly realizing that was true. “You know mate? You have been more helpful than the others in this matter.”

Hypnos smiled brightly at that. “Awww Zaggy, aren’t you a flatterer?”

Zagreus chuckled. “Remember me to bring some ambrosia for you the next time I get out of here.” he said, patting his back.

“Of course!”

* * *

  
  


Persephone would lie if she said she was prepared to have another baby.

One doesn’t question Fates, even less when you know their Mother personally, and while she doesn’t know  _ them  _ three personally, she knows better than to be insecure about how destiny has treated her up to that point and further. 

Maybe they were giving her another opportunity after what happened with Zagreus, maybe they were testing her, or maybe it wasn’t even about her, but about her husband, to give him a lesson, to give _him_ a second chance. Perhaps it wasn’t about either of them and this child needed to come from the Underworld Royalty to fulfill whatever plans they had for them, perhaps they were fated for greatness, _perhaps,_ _maybe, maybe, perhaps, maybe…_

There were many options here. She hoped it was the last one, though. She wanted her child to be their own person, and not part of a method of some kind to benefit someone else, whether for her or Hades or anyone’s sake. 

The Queen of the Underworld stared at nothing before her, green eyes lost somewhere among the ash-colored leaves of the pomegranate trees that grew on her garden above her head. Unconsciously, she caressed her abdomen and realized she has felt like this before, so many, many years ago, when Zagreus was only an option along with other names she and Nyx came up for him. 

Then she felt a familiar wet nose on her other hand and chuckled under her breath when she saw a tuft of red fur by the corner of her eye. This, too, had happened before.

“Not leaving my side until they’re born, again?” she says, petting Cerberus head- the one he liked to be petted of course. “Nyx had told me some stories about you and baby Zagreus, I want you to know I won’t tolerate any of your ‘gifts’ to this child this time.”

Nyx had told her how one day, he found Zagreus playing with Cerberus and something that looked like a bloody limb of a satyr on his tiny, chubby hands. Cerberus didn’t fear anyone, but that day, even the guardian of the gates to the Underworld felt the terror only an enraged mother can inspire. 

The overgrown puppy only whined at her words, lying to her side meekly and enjoying the pets on his head.

“You know? I think this child… will be very blessed,” she said her thoughts all aloud to Cerberus, who only wagged his tail in affirmation. “I’ll never run away again, their father is in a good mood lately and they’ll have a fantastic older brother,” she smiled and laughed when the hound of Hades groaned questioningly to her. “And of course, an amazing canid guardian.”

The beast seemed content with that, huffing approvingly through his nose.

“They may need some help to exist, at first, as nothing here can be born…” she exhaled, but then looked at her garden, at the plants that stubbornly remained there, after decades and decades without her, the pomegranates and the grass. It wasn’t like anything they had up at the surface, but it was… hers. “Or… maybe they’re just half-plant…”

She blinked at her own words, Cerberus didn’t seem to really understand her but she then began laughing, like she hasn’t laughed in a long time. Zagreus’ words had a very heavy impact on her, it seemed.

“So, did Cerberus suddenly develop the ability to talk and make some jokes or you just really remembered a good one just know?” 

Zagreus was by her side now, too, smiling at her with a curious spark on his mismatched eyes. Will this child have her and Hades’ eyes simultaneously as well? Will they be short like them? Tall like their father? Will they have Hades’ hair this time for a change? Would they be capable of inheriting some Olympian features? Or even maybe, mortal ones?

“I’m just… very happy, my son,” she answered genuinely.

Zagreus’ smile widened at that. “I’m happy to hear it!” he said. “Can I know why?”

Persephone sighed contently and caressed her son’s cheek like she had seen Nyx do multiple times. “I was wondering… if they will be part plant, too.”

For a second there Zagreus seemed completely confused, but then remembered his own words, and laughed gleefully.

They will be very blessed, indeed.

* * *

  
  


“I think… Makar would make a proper name.”

Persephone glanced curiously at her husband for a couple of seconds, before realizing what he was referring to. She almost drops the mountain of parchment she was carrying from section to section of the administrative chamber. The ever-working shades behind them paid them no mind, concentrating on their own work and giving them some kind of privacy, whether it was by fear or respect she didn’t know. Didn’t matter, either, right now.

The Lord of the Underworld didn’t look at her, concentrated on his task, discarding expired contracts by burning them with a single movement of his wrist to make space for new ones. Not like they ever get out of space there, but Hades liked to have everything well organized and in order. For a second he thought about Zagreus’ messy chambers and finally accepted this was not a job for his chaotic son.

He was also trying to distract himself from the awkward moment he created with his commentary.

“Makar…?” Persephone gawked at him. “You mean… as- like  _ blessed _ ?”

If he could be honest, he enjoyed Persephone’s sincere reactions to any situation before her. He still treasures the memory of when she saw Cerberus for the first time, and tenderly holds it close to his heart, not as he would ever confess aloud such a thing. She wasn’t anything like the rest of the servants of the House; she respected his decisions, but wasn’t outright obedient to them, and didn’t care for keeping up appearances when she was uncomfortable. That’s why he didn’t feel… threatened by her presence, eons ago when they first met. Olympians insisted on having a reputation, on being perfect, flawless, but Persephone hated that about them almost as much as him. 

And… it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise when he realized Zagreus was almost the same. The resemblance to his mother was undeniable, and with that, he began wondering if this new child would be the same as the both of them. He hoped so.

“I thought it was fitting, given the thoughts you shared with me the other day… or night.” 

Persephone took her time to compose herself, slowly returning to her job. “I think… is a wonderful name.” she smiled little by little to that, and Hades felt like they were knowing each other once again, awkwardly moving around the other with embarrassed smiles and bewildered frowns respectively. 

“I’m… glad you like it.” he lamely said.

She laughed under her breath. “But… how about Macaria, if they’re a girl, and Macarius, if they’re a boy?” her smile widened. “Or… I mean, just Makar, if they decide neither…”

The Lord of the Underworld felt a strange sensation pulling up at his cheeks, and stomped down any kind of flutter he just began feeling on his stomach. Persephone, discarding her regal behavior, snorted a little laugh behind her hand at the sight of her emotionally constipated husband.

>   
>    
>  ~ Extra ~   
>    
> 

_ “He almost smiled, son!” _

_ “No way… mother, are you sure it wasn’t… the lighting of the room or something?” _

_ “I know what I saw Zagreus, it was uncanny, really!” _

  
  
  
  



	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two featuring a growing up baby ready to make her loved ones go crazy with her oblivious hijinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I think this story will be a bunch of drabbles and snippets about Macaria growing up and Zagreus being a cool older bro.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Why are you so tiny, hmm?”

Zagreus didn’t frequent his parent’s bedchambers too much in the past. Not before Macaria was born anyway, and certainly not before his mother was back. Nowadays, however, you wouldn’t see the Prince of the Underworld anywhere else in his free time, always showering his little sister with brotherly affection while she rested on her crib. 

The newborn Princess stared up at him with those huge, green eyes of hers, reaching her tiny hands up to his face as he leaned over her crib, making grabby motions. Zagreus chuckled, and indulged her, as always.

“You are spoiling her.”

The sudden, booming voice of his father didn’t make his muscles automatically tense up so much lately. He took Macaria out of her crib in a swift motion he learned from Nyx and his mother, holding her safely with her head resting against the underside of his elbow just like they taught him, as the baby kicked her normal, never burning legs in the air, tirelessly.

“How can I not? She looks as restless as I am,” he responded good-naturedly. “I can’t imagine how trapped she feels in that miniature jail of hers.” he gestured to the crib by his side with a tilt of his head. Then looked down to the little girl again, talking to her like he would do with any other of his friends. “Would you want to ransack our father’s domain when you grow up too, little missy?”

Macaria giggled at the sound of his voice more than at the true meaning of his words, but Zagreus didn’t mind. The Lord of the Underworld huffed heavily at that, and yet, the Prince knew he wasn’t even phased by his behavior. Oh, he  _ could  _ tell when his father was in a foul mood, practice makes perfection after all, and today wasn’t the case. 

Hades walked inside the room, closing the doors of his chambers behind him, and proceeded to awkwardly stand by his children's’ side, in silence, while Zagreus answered to Macaria’s unintelligible babbling.

“Why do you even care to respond to her meaningless ramblings?” his tone was sharp and harsh as always. 

The Prince frowned slightly but forced himself to not fall on another passive-aggressive argument of theirs, not in front of the baby at least. “Nyx says that babies learn to talk sooner like this, that they are capable of understanding everything around them, just… not the same as us. They just need a little help”

Zagreus knew very well what was his father thinking, by the stern expression on his face. He could also tell he was restraining himself from saying something rude and was glad to know he at least cared for his little sister enough to do so.

An uncomfortable silence surrounded them for less than a minute, and Zagreus felt like he wanted to run away, taking Macaria with him. Unfortunately, his desire must have been pretty transparent (just as any other of his emotions), even for his father.

“Your mother forced me to spend some time with you two,” he confessed with a sigh. “If you are that uncomfortable, you may go, now.”

Zagreus almost laughs out loud at this. He scoffed an imperceptible laugh that shook Macaria with the vibrations of his chest, as the baby tried to eat her fist with toothless gums. 

“If it’s Mother’s desire we can try.” he shrugged with a teasing grin on his face, which grew even wider at his father’s irritated groan. He shook his head with a chuckle and brought Macaria closer to him. “Come on, father. Bond with your daughter, carry her. She doesn’t bite, yet.”

Hades visibly tensed up, taking a sharp breath that made Zagreus bring his little sister closer to his chest instinctively. It reminded him of the way he prepared himself for the impact of Stygius over his thick skin on their battles, how he would retaliate with a strong attack of his forked spear after each blow. It was only instinct, really, Zag didn’t mean to imply anything with his actions, but the way his father glared down at him with so much… resentment, he guessed, told him everything.

“Sorry, it was- it was a reflex.” he doesn’t remember the last thing he has apologized to him, but the words came out of his mouth without thinking.

The Lord of the Underworld blinked slowly, gaze softening, before avoiding his son’s mismatched, concerned eyes.

“Go with your mother.”

“Father, she-”

“I’ll be busy here.”

Hades ignored his son’s frustrated attempts to talk to him, sitting down in front of the table full of parchmentwork he keeps inside his chambers to catch up with belated work. 

“Have you ever held her in your arms, at least?” 

Hades ignored him, freezing for a bit before starting his job, scratches of quill over paper filling the silence that followed. Zagreus' patience ran out soon, and he tsk-ed before getting out, as he told him to, with innocent, oblivious Macaria peering over her older brother’s shoulder to her disgruntled father.

* * *

  
  


“It has been a long while since Makar was born, and he hasn’t even held her once!”

Persephone often felt, well… bad, when Zagreus decided to go with Nyx for advice when something troubled him, instead of her. It was fair, she knew, not only Nyx was a better mother than she will always be, but also a wise woman, the wisest woman she has ever met, more mature and knowledgeable than any other Goddess or God she met back at Olympus. She felt useless and overall guilty for her absence, but multiple times, both her son and her friend, had reassured her, told her it wasn’t her fault, and gave her the chance to show how much she cared for her place down here, in the Underworld, both as a mother and Queen.

Zagreus came to her shortly after her husband disappeared behind the doors of their bedchambers, and that was enough to let her know things didn’t go well. She didn’t hear them argue or shout to each other, so she supposed it was a good signal.

“Does he love her, truly?” 

A part of Persephone wished Nyx was there, by her side, to guide her or guide Zagreus at the very least, in all this mess. But no, she wanted to be a mother for, not only Zagreus now, but for Macaria as well. 

“All right son, let’s sit down.”

Zagreus plopped down into the grass of her garden, legs crossed and resting his head on his hand, pouting like a child. Persephone sat down right in front of him, careful to not make Macaria uncomfortable while doing so. It was quite rare to see Zagreus sitting down for once.

Macaria sat over her mother’s legs, her tiny back resting against her torso comfortably, eagerly observing everywhere around her.

“Hades, your father, he…” she started with a sigh. “He’s not used to demonstrating any kind of… affection, towards anyone.”

Zagreus nodded grimly at that. “I noticed.”

“Thereby he… don’t ever tell him I told you this but,” she laughed nervously, caressing Macaria’s sandy blonde hair. “I think he’s scared.”

Zagreus blinked dumbly at her, his brows up almost touching his hairline, his eyes wide open. “What?”

Persephone smiled gently at him. “He knows he ruined his relationship with you, from the start,” she began explaining. “He doesn't know what to expect from Makar,” the little girl looked up at her mother, identifying her nickname in their conversation. Zagreus' troubled expression softened at that. “He won’t… protest if she ends resenting him as well, but he certainly doesn’t have the slightest idea on how to act properly as a… well, as a father, either.”

Zagreus nodded again and poked Macaria’s nose playfully with a pensive look. He grinned faintly at the Princess’s giggles.

“He loves you two, that I can assure you.”

Her son’s expression soured for a second, but then he sighed, and let himself fall into the grass completely, lying down with a groan. Persephone laughed and placed Macaria over her son’s chest, where the little girl curled up comfortably without complaint.

“You don’t have to think about it now, but, please, consider everything I told you.” he caressed his hair, doing the same with Macaria afterward. 

Scared. It wasn’t a word Zagreus would use to describe his father or even a word he used very often in general, so it was natural he didn’t know how to manage fear, whether it was his or someone else’s. He had felt fear before of course, fear of ruining his relationship with Meg forever, fear of Thanatos hating him, fear of disappointing Achilles or Nyx or both… He was good at overcoming his fears, gradually and slowly, but he did in the end. But his father?

His thoughts were interrupted by a wet feeling on his chest. He looked down at his little sister, and found his clothes full of…

“Eww, baby spit.”

He… preferred to approach this whole deal of being an older brother first of all.

* * *

  
  


“All right, right after me. Zzzaaaagggreuss.”

Achilles arrived back at the House from visiting Patroclus just in time to hear Zagreus drag the sound of every letter of his own name down the hall, where he usually hung out with Thanatos, only that this time, Death Incarnate was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the Prince was alone with Princess Macaria, facing each other while sitting down on the recliner Zagreus commissioned for his lover some time ago. 

He smiled, watching the siblings get along from his post. It surprised Achilles how fast time flew by in the afterlife, it felt like it was only yesterday when the new Princess of the Underworld was still a newborn who had yet to open her eyes. Here in the present, she was already able to crawl and sit straight without any help, her babbles making more sense every day or night that passed. It seemed Zagreus decided to speed up her growing process though, teaching her how to talk already, or, at the very least, how to pronounce his name before anything else.

“Aaaaaaa!” the forgotten hero laughed when Macaria tried to imitate her older brother, failing completely. 

“Come on Makar, I heard you say Zag loud and clear the other day.” the lad begged.

The little girl only babbled in response, going in all fours to the edge of the recliner to, presumably, escape from her brother. Zagreus took her by her armpits to avoid any unwanted accidents and sat her down on her previous position. Macaria only screamed louder, kicking her legs in protest.

“Don’t give me that attitude, little missy.” Zagreus scolded, pretending to be firm, but let her do whatever she pleased ultimately.

Achilles enjoyed watching the siblings’ antics in silence. Zagreus let the little one crawl over the floor, watching her every move from a close distance, lifting her up to turn her away from going towards the always-flowing river of Styx beyond the bars of the balcony that separated her from its strong waters and let her inspect a forgotten bottle of nectar that was only half-filled. Naturally, she began chewing the cork in an eager fashion.

Spending his eternity in the House of Hades had taught Achilles multiple things about Gods and Goddesses. They may not have to eat or drink or sleep in order to keep existing or to exercise constantly to maintain their athletic shapes as mortals do, but they both had more in common than he initially thought. He realized this when Lord Hades presented Zagreus as the Prince of the Underworld to the entire House eons ago, and convinced himself of it when the King ordered him to train his son. 

At first, he told himself it must be the mortal blood that ran in his veins, as red as any other man up at the surface, but being close to the lad as his teacher allowed him to get familiar with those important to him, from Death himself (a little, tiny thing back then) to always enlightened Mother Night (regal and majestic as always), and to know better than to think about divine beings like them as flawless and perfect. 

He had seen Megaera fail, had seen Thanatos being too shaken up for the things he had to see up at the surface thanks to his job and Hypnos falling asleep in the middle of his responsibilities like any other overworked servant. He had seen Queen Persephone cry, he had seen Zagreus deal with insecurities about his worth.

However, the greatest sign that told him he was right, was right in front of him. 

“Well, if you don’t want to say my name let’s try with something you’ll enjoy greatly once you grow up.” 

Gods and Goddesses loved, too. And not only to satisfy their, um,  _ characteristic  _ libido but in forms that were completely normal for humans. And love, why, it changed people.

Before Princess Macaria was born, it was rare to see the Prince sitting down on his own accord. He still preferred standing up with his little sister in his arms, carrying her everywhere he went, but as a toddler, a baby still, she couldn’t keep with her big brother’s endless energy. And so, Zagreus adapted. 

They were both on the floor now, while Zagreus patiently tried to teach Macaria how to say ‘nectar’.

“Nnnnaaarrr!” the little Princess repeated, on her own version of the word, excitedly shaking the golden contents of the bottle in her tiny hands.

Zagreus crossed his arms, visibly offended. “I can’t believe you! So you can say nectar but not Zagreus?” 

_ ‘That was hardly a coherent word, lad’ _ Achilles thought with an amused grin. Even with his conclusion on God/Mortal solidarity and similarities, Achilles would never understand why people got the uncontrollable urge to teach their baby loved ones to say their name before anything else. 

The next time he reunited with Patroclus in Elysium he would tell him all of that, and his beloved would chuckle, amused by his clueless expression. 

“Just imagine that the Stranger’s first words would have happened to be ‘Achilles, sir’ instead of Mother or Father.” he would say.

“I’d felt… honored, I think.”

And Pat would laugh at him again, and Achilles would forgive him for the teasing that would follow after, because if he was rewarded by a sound like that, well...

* * *

  
  


“What do you think she’s the Goddess of?” 

Orpheus loved being in the company of his beautiful Eurydice, spending all the time he could with her even if that meant traveling to the always burning meadows of Asphodel. It felt unfair, that his muse was trapped there for eternity when other shades unworthy of Elysium (in his opinion) were now enjoying the luxuries of a place like that, the rest of their afterlife filled with opulence and splendor. However, his lovely wife seemed to pay no mind to the injustice of the Fates and enjoyed herself cooking with the few ingredients she could find around to feed him, even if they both no longer needed to be fed.

Zagreus, his precious friend, would find Eurydice’s place as a common occurrence, and therefore, Orpheus himself, whenever his contract allowed him to take a break from his duties as court musician. 

It was his wife who did that question, concerning Princess Macaria as Zagreus satisfied his, technically, inexistent hunger with a bowl of pom porridge, stopping for a short while before resuming his actual run through the Underworld. 

His friend gulped a mouthful of porridge in one go, licking his lips absently as he stared at the nymph. “Makar? Uh, well, we don’t know for sure,” he let out a self-deprecating laugh under his breath. “I don’t even know for sure what _ I am _ the God of, either, so…” he never ended his sentence, shrugging off the topic instead. “We’ll see.”

“Then you have to be the God of All That’s Great, my friend, no other title would fit you better after each and every one of your deeds.” Orpheus praised him passionately, getting a laugh from both him and his wife in exchange. 

“Thank you mate,” Zagreus smiled at him. “That’s better than Alecto’s hypothesis that I’m the God of Trash.”

“That’s utterly absurd!” he huffed, offended.

Eurydice caressed his back with her rough, but ever-gentle hands, as he unconsciously leaned back to her touch, letting out a sigh.

“Well, most of you Gods and Goddesses have something on your looks and charisma that gives away your… let’s say, area of experience, right?” said the oak nymph, trying to distract her husband, returning to the previous topic. “How does she look?”

Zagreus hummed in thought, taking a sip from his bowl before grinning a bit. “She looks like my mother,” he started. “The most beautiful green eyes you’ll ever see, although her hair is more like my father’s, all… wavy and long.”

He kept talking about her appearance, describing every tiny detail, from how her nose was more like his mother’s and her skin paler, like Zagreus’ and his father’s. It surprised them how attached he was to the little girl, as most siblings lost interest in each other after a while, but thinking about the almost miserable childhood his friend had must explain his behavior, Orpheus thinks.

“Being a kid of Hades should mean she one day will serve him, but…” Eurydice smiled at Zagreus. “I think that’s not a given.”

Zagreus barked a laugh. “You got it right!” he sobered up a little, enough to give an actual, serious answer to that. “Whatever the Fates have planned for her will be great,” then he made a face of slight discomfort. “Unless it’s something tragic. If that’s the case then I may intervene.”

They chatted only a little bit more until the Prince decided it was time for him to get moving, he had work to do after all. He thanked them for their hospitality, and went to the next room to fight against more wretches, making good use of the boost from Eurydice’s food.

Orpheus’ eventually had to go, too, promising he would bring as many stories about the Prince and Princess of the Underworld as he could. And the moment he returned to the House the musician met his goal perfectly, as there was already a commotion that even involved the Lord of the Underworld himself, who was trying to catch a floating little princess desperately in front of a crowd of gawking shades.

“Weren’t you keeping watch on her?!” his Master shouted in a booming voice, making many shades scatter and make like they weren’t watching the fantastic show right in front of them.

“I-I didn’t know she could levitate!” responded Queen Persephone. 

Achilles later told him how everything was normal at the House until the young Princess suddenly began floating upwards, far away from her crib by her father’s desk. She was beginning to manifest her special abilities, it seemed.

“The first manifestation of a Goddess’ powers!” he exclaimed then, as inspiration filled his soul and heart. “That story deserves a song!”

A song he would later play to lift the spirits of a moping Zagreus, who lamented not having seen Macaria’s powers first hand. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Thanatos was well aware that his sisters, the Fates, had a…  _ unique  _ sense of humor, not to say their naughtiness knew no limits and the way they played with the strings of destiny was straight careless most of the time. He couldn’t blame them, it was their job, after all, the reason why they existed, and only they were capable of fulfilling the role it was given to them, so it wasn’t Thanatos’ place to judge the decisions they took.

Although, sometimes, he wished he could.

It had been a long day. Week. Maybe a month, who knew, his workaholic brain didn’t care a lot about time nowadays. He left some shades to rot in the deepest corners of Asphodel without even batting an eye to their pathetic pleas, disappearing in a flash of green light only to come again into existence up at the surface, his hood up and shielding his golden eyes from the bright sun above. He cursed Helios and his tendency to make days longer than nights, his mother’s domain, and therefore, an environment in which Than could move more comfortably.

He thought about coming back to the House, even for a little while, before resuming his duties up here. He craved for some rest (even if he would never, ever admit it), to lay down on the recliner Zagreus specifically bought for him and no one else, to spend some time with the Prince and hear him fill his silence with stories of little Makar and his other friends. He longed to feel Zagreus' warmth against the cool surface of his cold skin, but he stopped thinking about that with a sigh when he realized another mortal soul was calling for him again.

He couldn’t even think about his beloved without being interrupted, it seemed.

Thanatos was there in less than a second and felt relieved to see there was not a mess of blood and broken limbs around, and the fact that Lord Ares was thankfully absent from this scene would always be a plus. Not that he disliked the War God so much but… peaceful death was Than’s specialty, and if he could be honest, he preferred the gentle resignation of those who understood they had to go already, than the erratic denial from the ones who thought they were immortal only for winning a handful of battles in a war.

There was a peaceful silence around him. The place was a cozy mortal house, made of wood and filled with plants. There was a pleasant smell of homemade food flooding the residence, but there was nothing left more than a couple of still dirty plates over the table. 

He practically heard the last breath of two different mortals behind him, where he found, tucked in on a bed, an elderly couple with smiles on their faces. 

Thanatos sighed, and brought up his scythe, ready to separate their souls from their bodies, but the soft, sweet chime of bells distracted him. A flash of green was his only warning for what was about to come, and suddenly there was a tiny figure over the deceased woman’s corpse, a figure he knew very well by now.

He dropped his scythe from the high place he lifted it in the air, making Princess Macaria flinch to the sudden sound. Fearless, she stared right at Thanatos with curious eyes, soon dedicating him a big smile as she made grabby motions towards him with her chubby hands, her impossibly long hair bouncing along with her.

Automatically, he got close to Macaria and lifted her up, the same way he had seen Zagreus do multiple times, and the same way he vaguely remembered Mother Nyx carrying Thanatos himself, so long ago.

“T’an!” she exclaimed, and then Thanatos' state of shock was broken, bringing him back to reality.

Heh, Macaria already said Thanatos’ nickname more often than Zagreus’ by now. As much as he loved him, Than also enjoyed teasing his lover greatly.

“What… are you doing here, Makar?” he asked rhetorically, he didn’t expect a real answer from her. 

Only that… the little girl blinked at him slowly, partially understanding what he meant, and then glanced at the still waiting couple in the bed. Thanatos blinked in a similar fashion, realizing... something.

“Could it be…?” 

With one hand he kept Macaria against his chest, holding her by her hip, and with the other, the one with his gauntlet, made his scythe ascend from the floor into his grip, resuming his work where he left it. With a quick swing, the woman’s soul was separated from her body, creating a shade, which stared at them both before fixing her now incorporeal eyes towards her husband.

“Think you can do it?” he asked the child, gently. 

Hypnos always complained when he and Zagreus talked to Makar like they would do with any other of their grown-up friends and family. His twin brother insisted on talking to her with a sickeningly sweet voice while making words sound ‘cuter’, no matter how many times Thanatos told him it sounded dumb. He said she was a child, and things needed to be simple for her simple little mind, and he would agree, if Than hadn’t seen Macaria understand most things around her with relative ease.

Proof of that was the way she released free the man’s soul from his body with a single touch of his tiny hand over his forehead after Thanatos let her sit close to him to do her job. 

It still took Thanatos some time to process all this sudden information. Macaria resembled a mortal one-year-old at best, but she already had found her role in this world. Thanatos himself began acting as Death Incarnate until his body was prepared enough to use his scythe, while the Princess' single touch did about the same as it without any kind of training. 

“Forgive me for asking, O’Lord Death,” he snapped his attention to one of the shades, who was speaking to him. “Is she yours?”

Thanatos looked at Macaria, trying to calm down and not let his embarrassment show on his face. 

“No,” he answered curtly, and both shades accepted it silently. “But I shall take you to the place we both came from.”

When he arrived at the House, Zagreus and Queen Persephone were positively panicking under the solemn gaze of Mother Nyx, who tried her best to calm them down while Lord Hades had his forehead against his intertwined hands, elbows resting over his desk, his deep red eyes closed in which Than guessed it was an attempt to concentrate and clearly see every corner of his domain, in search of something.

His mother was the first to acknowledge his presence, way before Hypnos noticed him and the Princess, with a relieved, sleepy smile growing on his face as he saw Macaria in his arms.

“Thank the  _ Gods _ , Than! She’s with you!” he giggled nervously. “I thought Zag and our Real Majesties were about to lose their heads over her disappearance.”

He couldn’t even answer to his brother before Queen Persephone was right before him, thanking him over and over again for finding Macaria after he handed the child back to her mother. Zagreus directly hugged him, letting out a shuddering breath and a single ‘thank you’, as Than returned the embrace.

“I barely did anything,” he said. “In fact, I… should report something important.”

Later that night or day, as Persephone let Macaria sleep on her brother’s arms, and Zagreus in exchange leaned against Than’s side on a secluded part of her garden, the Queen of the Underworld talked with Nyx on her post near the great hall, in a more calmed manner than earlier.

“My daughters’ plans for her are to aid my son on his duties, it seems,” she informed. “What a fitting name you chose for your child, my friend.”

“The Goddess of Blessed Death…” Persephone sighed contently. “Fitting, indeed.” then she sighed again, feeling all the stress she felt since her daughter disappeared in a bright flash of green finally going away. “How did you manage to raise a child who could appear and disappear whenever he pleased without going crazy, my friend?”

Nyx smiled gently at her. “Who says I went unscratched from that experience?” she said, and Persephone let out an incredulous laugh. “Each one of them was quite a challenge to raise, I won’t lie, but it was worth it,” she said. “Thanatos could shift away in a matter of seconds, Hypnos sleeps so much sometimes I couldn’t tell if he was still breathing, Megaera and her sisters would never get along, and Zagreus,” she chuckled lowly, in a regal manner Persephone almost envied. “He would dash with flaring tiny feet everywhere, setting on fire multiple rugs before we enchanted them to prevent any major damage.”

It… sounded like a lot, but Persephone knew, by Nyx’s satisfied expression on her face, that she didn’t regret any of that. For her part, the Queen only regretted not being there to see it herself. 

“I suggest placing a spell on her that blocks her abilities until she grows up to be capable of understanding them.”

Persephone nodded. “I will talk to Hades about it.” he was better with that kind of skills than her, after all. “I don’t think I have ever seen him so pale before.” she giggled behind her hand.

Nyx did it too. “You didn’t see when Zagreus decided to explore Cerberus’ open snout as if it was some kind of cavern. One of his feet burned Cerberus’ lips and he snapped it close, with him still inside,” she said. “Zagreus was fine in the end, only covered by the beast’s saliva.” 

Persephone covered her mouth in both surprise and horror, but couldn’t help feeling some sort of amusement.

It wouldn’t be so funny if Macaria tried it in the future though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was going to upload this chapter waaaaaay earlier today but AO3 just broke and. i didn't. But! Here it is and that's what it counts. Thanks for the kudos and for reading this, it means a lot. Feel free to leave a comment or a suggestion!


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Macaria was growing up too fast.
> 
> Meg understood a little better then, why Zagreus seemed so reluctant to the simple fact of Macaria growing up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooooooooo glad there's people that are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it ;w; Thank you so much!!! Specially Haven247 and Lunalight, who had been inspiring me to keep writing this! I really appreciate it, and I swear I'll get to write some of your ideas for older Makar! :DDDD 
> 
> It's the beginning of the semester, so I won't be able to update this so much(? I'm really sorry for that u__u I'm also tutoring my little cousin and trying to learn how to code and use some programs aside from school. That doesn't mean I'll stop anytime soon though!

Meg was not having a good day so far.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, kid.”

“I’m still sorry.” 

Macaria was growing up too fast. Megaera thought of it as a good sign, that single statement meant things were going smoothly with both her mental and physical development and Nyx won’t have to use her powers to intervene with it as she did with Zagreus any time soon. The Prince of the Underworld, on the other hand, wasn’t happy with his little sister getting older and older with the pass of time, but, ultimately, he seemed glad about just watching her being happy and healthy.

The thing with growing up was… well…

Meg knew for a fact that a little godling like the Princess could only spend so much time trapped back at the House without being able to explore the rest of what was practically her domain by extension. Proof of that was her big brother, and even Megaera herself, having secretly got out of the House to explore Tartarus without anyone noticing (or at least, without being punished for doing it if someone did in fact notice) a couple of times when she was a little godling. The House was huge and had any accommodations they could ever ask for, but a golden jail was still a jail she supposes, and for that, she couldn’t blame Macaria.

“Why did you get out of the House?” she still asked.

The little princess glanced down at her naked feet in shame, tiny fists grabbing her white chiton in a strong grip as she remained quiet. She kept following Megaera on their way back to the House through Tartarus, ignoring the moaning shades around them, and only flinching slightly when one of them dared to try and place a ghosty hand over her, being immediately stopped by the Fury’s swift whip. After a short while, Meg sighed and stopped, feeling Macaria’s strong distress behind her when she ceased their walk. If they were surrounded by any kind of form of life, it would have soon withered and died thanks to her (literally) deathly powers. It has happened before.

“I can practically feel your uneasiness, kid.” she sighed, trying to be gentle with her words. In all honesty, it was hard. She was used to punishing people and making them feel like trash, but Macaria was too good, too sweet and kind, and also just an innocent child. “You are not in trouble, believe me, I’ve seen your father mad before. He calmed down pretty easily.”

‘Pretty easily’ was not the correct way to describe Lord Hades’ process of calming down, considering how his shouts could be heard all the way up to Elysium no longer than a couple of hours before. He blamed Zagreus straight away when he realized where his daughter was at the moment, just as he emerged from the pool of Styx. The Prince didn’t even get the chance to shake the river’s red water drops off his hair when his father stomped his way through the great hall, making Hypnos yelp and the shades of the court scatter. She could see how strong his grip was on his shoulder, and Zagreus’ wide open, mismatched eyes staring at his progenitor like he used to do when they were younger, with surprise and a tiny spark of fear on them. It lasted no more than a second, though, before the Prince frowned and asked what in the name of the Gods was he talking about.

Queen Persephone intervened then, and before she could see how the rest of their discussion went, Nyx sent Megaera to pick up Macaria from the final chamber of Tartarus. Meg paled then, because it was Alecto’s turn to guard the entrance to Asphodel after Zagreus beat Tisiphone not too long ago. She never ran faster on her life, not even sparing Sysiphus a single glance when she sprinted through his pathetic chamber.

Alecto wasn’t the best at… well, at anything that wasn’t related to cruelly punishing the wretched and fighting in general, a little bit as Megaera herself. She had almost no sense of morality aside from the reason for why her work existed at all. When she arrived Macaria was staring up at Meg's sister, who had her whip in both hands, tensing it up like she would do before punishing any other common shade. Alecto’s grin was sharp and menacing as always, and before Meg could think  _ ‘she would never do it, not even if she hates Zag so much’ _ , she grabbed the Princess by the neck of her chiton, placing her behind her as she faced Alecto. 

_ “So I’m not allowed to take down our Lord’s other kid?” _ she asked with feigned sadness.  _ “I thought that was our job!”  _

Meg had so,  _ so  _ many things to say to her sister at that moment, but she remembered why she was there in the first place, and only sneered at her with the deadliest of her glares.  _ “You know well what your job is.” _ was all she said, before turning around and prompting Macaria to follow her.

Macaria then apologized for making her fight with her sister. She wasn’t even aware of the theoretical danger she was at. Alecto’s bloodlust wasn’t big enough to put her immortality to test by hurting her Lord’s innocent child, Meg couldn’t imagine the massive punishment she would get from it but, still, she felt the urge of making sure that Macaria was safe, no matter what. For the time being, Megaera didn’t want to scold her, not only because she was weak to those big, green eyes staring up at her so innocently, but because she was very sure Lord Hades wouldn't spare her just as easily when they arrived at the House. He may have softened a bit after the Queen’s return, but habits had the tendency of dying hard.

Still, she didn’t lie when she said Macaria wasn’t in trouble. Trouble was the way he treated Zagreus back then when he disobeyed his father. It won’t happen with her.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated.

Meg sighed. “So you said.” and knelt to the Princess’s level, to see her to the eye. “Why did you get out?”

The little girl blushed, her eyes filling up with tears. Meg flinched almost imperceptibly to that. Zagreus is going to kill her. 

“I wanted to see how Zag works.” she confessed remorsefully. 

Megaera wanted to scoff at that.  _ Of course _ Zagreus was the culprit of this, causing trouble as always, even if… well, even if it wasn’t his intention, this time. 

“You saw how dangerous it is out here.” she said.

Macaria nodded. “Shades are good with me when we’re in the House.” a tear came down from her eyes before continuing. “B-But they hate me out here!”

The Fury was completely lost then. For the first time in what felt like forever she internally admitted needing Zagreus aid for something- this was way more nerve-wracking than facing a foe or any of her sisters. To think she contributed to make Makar cry made her feel like trash. 

However, she remained calm. “That’s because they’re not shades,” she tried to explain instead of comforting her. “Those are called wretches,” she said. “And they’re… uh, really bad guys.”

Thanatos insisted Macaria was too clever to be talked to as a mortal toddler. She could understand things, there was no need to simplify them for her, but she was not even taller than the chairs of the lounge, damn it. She didn’t need to know exactly what kind of thing were the wretches of the Underworld.

Macaria took some time to process that information, but sadly, they couldn’t keep her Lord Father waiting for too long, so in a swift motion she took the Princess up in her arms and resumed their walk. Macaria whimpered slightly before holding onto her neck, hiding her little face under Megaera’s neck, her laurel wreath tickling her chin. 

It felt… strangely nice, to know someone younger and smaller than her needed her protection. She sometimes felt this way towards Dusa, but Meg knew very well the hard-working gorgon could take care of herself in a way Makar couldn’t. 

“It’s going to be fine,” Megaera said, patting her back tenderly. 

When they arrived at the House of Hades by the path in Queen Persephone’s garden, Macaria clumsily floated away from her arms to trap Zagreus in a hug, sobbing and crying as if someone flipped a switch the moment she felt safe in her big brother’s embrace. The Prince seemed like an expert while comforting her, under the sweet gaze of the Queen by their side, who gently patted her head. 

She understood a little better then, why Zagreus seemed so reluctant to the simple fact of Macaria growing up.

* * *

  
  


“Zagreus was the same, before?”

Macaria was grounded. That was all right, Persephone thought. She did something dangerous and was learning that her actions weren’t correct. She was in her room thinking about what she did, alone even if Zagreus insisted on keeping her some company earlier. No matter if Persephone’s heart broke a little bit when she saw her daughter’s ashamed face as she meekly floated towards her chambers after Hades’ scolding, she knew this was the right thing to do if Nyx’s advice was to be trusted. And Persephone would never doubt Nyx.

Her husband scoffed a dry laugh at her question, only paying half attention to the parchment he was working on. “He was worse.”

She, for a fact, knew that. However... “But he never got outside the house like Makar did, right?”

Persephone enjoyed watching Hades being caught off guard like this, even more, if she was the reason for it. The man stopped his writing for a minute, starting again at a slower pace after contemplating what to say next.

“He knew the rules of the house.” was his answer.

“Then you are telling me he never got outside before because he  _ followed  _ the rules,” said Persephone, sardonically. 

She could practically hear her husband roll his eyes, even if she wasn’t directly looking at him. “The house seemed to be big enough for him to explore and survey to his liking,” he said. “Nyx’s children are not much older than him, he had his entertainment with them and Cerberus.”

Persephone hummed, tapping her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “The most I know about Zagreus, the most I realize he’s… really like me, dear,” Hades grunted in response, a little bit exasperated because he just knew what was going on already, and she only giggled. “It’s hard for me to think he really didn’t get out of the house until, well, recently.”

“What are you implying?” he asked, impatient.

“I ran away from my mother too, Hades,” she said. “You don’t try to get away from home only once, you know?”

Hades stared at his wife for a couple of seconds, his dark, red eyes fixed on her before he let out a big sigh again. The great hall was pretty empty nowadays, with things getting better up on the surface and all, so it was easy for them to have normal conversations without multiple shades hearing them, waiting for something interesting to happen to create disastrous amounts of gossip later on. 

“As long as he was with Nyx I never had a way to tell,” he confessed. “But I assure you, that boy-” he interrupted himself when his Queen gave him a pointed look, a silent scolding he was unable to ignore. “ _ Zagreus _ ,” when Persephone nodded, pleased, he kept talking. “Never left the house alone.”

“I still doubt it, but let’s say I believe you.”

Hades grunted, and Persephone only smiled at him.

* * *

  
  


Skelly enjoyed his afterlife in a very… let’s say,  _ unconventional  _ way. He knew it, Zagreus knew it, and he would say everyone knew it but, honestly, there weren't a lot of people he knew down here in the Underground. Yet, he was happy like that, no matter how depressing the Prince thought it was, Skelly was already used to it. The boy was very blessed, with so many people that genuinely cared for him, even if his father was… well, as good father the King of the Underworld could be. He was only glad to have a place to hang out.

Sometimes Dusa would check on him, there was this one time the oldest of the Furies came to ask for the Prince, and Achilles himself came once to thank him for helping Zagreus grow, both as a warrior and as a person. Most of the time though, it was only him, the Prince’s weapons, and the boyo himself beating the hell out of him, pun completely intended.

However, today was a pretty, uh, special occasion it seemed.

“Makar, hey! He won’t do anything to you, I swear.”

Skelly was aware of the existence of a new Princess of the Underworld. Her birth was still fresh news down here, and seriously, the Prince would never shut up about her a single minute while they were sparring these last years. It was a matter of time until he had to meet her, however…

“Woah! Calm down lil’ missy, I don’t bite!” 

The Prince came out from his room today, not to practice with him, but with the intention of introducing him to the little Princess here. It was surprising even for him but kept his cool when Princess Macaria stood in front of him, looking very regal and proper even if she was just a toddler. 

...and then began crying.

Skelly was very confused, to say the least. Macaria floated towards her big brother’s arms as soon as she examined him closely, whimpering and trembling. Zagreus was doing his best, but not even with his brotherly skills he could calm her down and had to return to his room, where he left the child resting on his bed, as he got out again to talk to him.

“I’m very sorry, boyo,” Skelly talked first. “But you have to understand I’m not… exactly kid-friendly, being a walkin’ skeleton and all.”

“I should be the one apologizing,” Zagreus sighed, his eyes looking to his flaming feet. “I think she’s too small to really understand you’re harmless.”

Skelly snorted, not really sure how he could do so with no vocal cords or a throat but not thinking about it at all. “Hey, hey, don’t worry pal, it’s better if she learns to fear the wretched, don’t you think?”

Zagreus scoffed at that. “I was trying to show her there’s nothing to fear.”

The walking skeleton shook his head, and with it, the few hairs he still had on his skull. “Hear me out boyo, you better try to avoid a bad situation instead of trying to fix it, got it? I know what I’m talking about here.”

“It’s her domain, too,” he said, weakly trying to argue. “I don’t want her to be scared of anything down here.”

Skelly sighed. “Look, if you don’t want her to be scared, then teach her to be feared instead!”

Zagreus blinked at him, in a rather dumb way honestly, as he understood the meaning of his words there. He did all he could to not laugh his bony ass off of the Prince’s shocked expression when he processed the information given. 

“B-But she’s still so small!” he exclaimed.

Skelly shrugged. “Your choice pal,” he said, “I don’t know a lot about your younger self but try to think about the first time you held a weapon, and why.”

Later that day, Zagreus was slumped against his mother in a defeated manner, his forehead over her shoulder, as the Queen of the Underworld patted his back with an amused expression on her face. Makar was playing with Cerberus, under the watchful eye of their father, who resolved the cases of the shades around the house as he did so.

“Does she need to learn?” he practically whined.

Persephone smiled sadly at that. “She may have to, one day,” she said. “Your father made sure that you were well taught in the martial arts for a reason, even if it doesn't look like it.”

“Knowing him he just wanted to keep me busy and away from him,” he grunted bitterly.

His mother caressed his hair lovingly and answered with a sweet voice. “He may have… but in the end, it was all for your own good, don’t you think?”

“I guess…”

“Stop weeping, boy,” Zagreus rolled his eyes to the booming voice of his father directed to him. “It’s not a bad idea, everyone here is at least a little bit skilled in battle, even Hypnos. She will start training tomorrow.”

Both the Prince and the Queen jumped at that, looking at the King with wide eyes and almost identical frowns.

“Father, what are you-?”

“Hades if you think I’ll let you-”

They talked at the same time, and despite being certainly used to always disagree and argue with his son, Hades rarely saw this side of his wife. He was… rather shocked, to be honest. Thankfully neither of them seemed to notice his unusual reaction, as they looked at each other equally surprised.

When they began laughing then, Hades wasn’t very sure what to do.

* * *

  
  


“Brother?”

It was common for Zagreus to come out from the pool of Styx with Hypnos being the first to welcome him. Up to this point, it became his routine; greet Hypnos, chat with him shortly, then greet his mother, Cerberus, and his father in that exact order. He would check if Than was on his spot by the river or if Meg was up to go for a drink, share some news with Achilles and Nyx, and ease Dusa’s worries about her work, then finally, Makar would realize he was back and will welcome him with a smile or an exciting history of what happened while he was out.

Never before things had been different from this, until now.

Zagreus was still dripping red when he glanced up and saw Macaria standing right before the pool, her face expressionless. He didn’t even get to greet her when she spoke first.

“Hey, Macaria, didn’t expect you here,” he said, slightly surprised. But then he smiled, getting out of the blood-like waters and taking a towel from the rack by his side. He wouldn’t shake off the liquid from his hair this time, he could stain Macaria’s white dress. “Were you waiting for me?”

Macaria didn’t answer, only kept looking at him. Zagreus cleaned his hair and face, the rest of the water disappearing as more seconds passed. Strange Underworld magic, he always guessed.

“Everything ok, Makar?” he talked again, her silence was starting to get somehow… unsettling. 

The little Princess then frowned, as she opened her mouth. “Did you die, brother?”

Zag stared at her for what it felt like hours, processing the question. He could hear the sound of talking shades nearby, Hypnos’ snores and Dusa humming somewhere above them, maybe cleaning the rafters, but the sound of it was very far away, as his mismatched eyes didn’t dare to leave his sister’s green ones.

It reminded him of the light that announced Than’s arrival. The soft, green light of a gentle death. 

“I… did.” he answered. 

And now that he thought of it, after all this time, Makar never has been aware of what happened to him when he got out to ‘work’, right?

“...hurt?” 

Her voice was so soft and low that he couldn’t hear what she just said, so he crouched to her level, with the towel resting over his shoulders, and asked her to repeat her words. 

“Did it hurt?”

Zagreus frowned at that, realizing that, in fact, this was the first time he didn’t return to the house after a painful death. No bear mauling him to death, no snakes, no falling off a cliff… nothing, really. He was even able to reach his mother’s garden on the surface before he felt the pull of the Styx claiming him once again.

So he wasn’t lying when he smiled again and said. “You know what? Not at all!”

Macaria frowned harder at that, crossing her little arms over her chest grumpily. “Are you lying?”

The Prince tilted his head to the side, confused. “Huh? No Makar, why…?”

“Mom told me your job is very dangerous and I shouldn’t go with you,” she answered. “Father said I would die, but that doesn’t matter because I would return like you, right?”

Zagreus blinked at his sister, his eyes wide in shock at her words. The sudden change of topic caught him off guard, so he sighed and contemplated his options here for a second, before deciding something.

He took her on her arms in a swift, practiced motion, holding her by the hip as the little girl kept frowning at him, her arms on his neck. He greeted his mother with a brief wave as he walked to the empty west hall, sitting down in Than’s recliner with Macaria by his side.

“Did it hurt?” asked Makar again.

“No,” Zagreus began. “But most of the time it does. Today I got lucky, I guess.”

Macaria hummed, a pensive expression on her face. “So, I can’t go.”

The Prince rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think in a way to explain whatever this was to his younger sister. “I’m not very… careful in my runs to get out of the Underworld, Makar.” he sighed. “Personally, I don’t mind some pain, but it is still a bad feeling, and you’re still a child. Mother is right, you can’t come with me.”

“Not even if I am extra careful?” she stared up at him with huge, innocent eyes, finally removing the constipated look she had earlier.

_ Ah, so that’s it _ , Zagreus thought. He smiled gently, a warm feeling growing in his chest, as he reached out to touch her face, cradling her cheek in his calloused hand.

“Let me tell you what,” an idea was already forming in his head. “You’re still small,” he laughed at Macaria’s pout. “But you will eventually grow up, strong and tall like me or Meg.”

“Meg says you’re not tall,” she stated as a fact. In a show of sheer childish resentment, Zag stuck his tongue out to her, and Macaria returned the gesture.

“As I was saying,” Macaria giggled at his accusatory tone. “You’ll grow up, and then you can come with me.”

She pouted again at that. “I’ll have to wait too much,” she whined.

Zagreus shrugged. “Life is unfair dear.”

“You’re the God of Life, do something about it.” 

The Prince looked questioningly at her. “Who told you that?”

Macaria looked over the empty spot where his mentor usually stood. “Sir Achilles,” she responded easily. “But father says we don’t know for sure, yet.”

Zagreus was left genuinely surprised then. “He… said that?”

Macaria nodded, and the Prince let out an incredulous laugh under his breath.  _ ‘We don’t for sure… yet’ _ . Was really his father admitting he wasn’t a God without purpose or talents like he always used to say? No no… that was a little too much of a stretch to the real meaning of his words. It was more like… he was beginning to open up to other… possibilities. Or maybe Makar only heard wrong. 

Either way, “That’s new.” was all he said in the end.

Macaria moved her legs, tiny feet oscillating over the marble floor. “Soooo, can you do something?”

Zagreus scoffed at that, as he ruffled her long, blonde hair playfully. “Let’s do this,” he began. “You’ll come with me when you face Skelly without being scared, AND,” he raised his voice when Macaria was about to say something, interrupting her. “When you learn how to defend yourself. Deal?”

Macaria stared at his big brother with a deadpan that was very similar to the one Meg and Than gave him when he did something stupid. Where did she learn that?

Eventually, the child sighed (with the cutest pout in the entire world) and nodded. “Deal.”

“Perfect!” he exclaimed, getting up. Ever since Makar was born Zagreus surprised himself sitting down more often than before, his restless energy coming to a pause when his little sister was involved. He didn’t last though. “Let’s see if Mother wants to share a few pomegranates from her garden with us.”

Macaria got off from her seat, hovering behind the Prince with her hand holding the neck of his chiton.

_ Someday _ , she thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I going too fast? Too slow? I don't know, for the time being, I only enjoy witting the head canons I have for this story :'3 I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading! 
> 
> Leave a comment or a kudo! It always cheers me up, knowing there are people interested in my work!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you saw any grammatical error or something, please let me know! I'm also open to suggestions and all kinds of respectful feedback uwu. 
> 
> Come shout at me at my tumblr Junnie133
> 
> See you soon!


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